News

2022.02.22

K-ARTS 1st Annual Metaverse Showcase will be held simultaneously online and offline.

Organized by the K-Arts Art & Technology Lab at the Convergence Arts Center of the Korea National University of Arts (President Daejin Kim) and curated by K-ARTS OPEN ARTIST (KOA) 1st, the Metaverse Art Showcase will be on view at Erolpa in Seongsu-dong from February 26 to 28, and online on the Metaverse platform from February 26 to March 31. The screening of the graduation works will be available on SKT's Metaverse platform, ifland, from February 25 to 28.

By utilizing new platforms and technologies to showcase K-Arts outstanding creative capabilities on a wider stage (Metaverse real-time avatar dance performance, Metaverse short film screening, graduation architectural works reproduced in an infinite Metaverse space, etc.), the exhibition is significant as a stage to expand the distribution and exchange possibilities of K-Arts artists. In addition, by presenting artworks in various forms on Metaverse's representative platforms (Spatial, VRChat, Ifland), it provides a fresh experience outside the constraints of the audience's environment and space and time.

The theme of the exhibition is "Take-off to Art-Space!" to celebrate the first takeoffs of emerging K-Arts artists who are showcasing their work in the Metaverse World for the first time. Visitors can explore the sprawling virtual exhibition space to view the works in various scales and forms, as well as experience independent spaces containing the artists' personalities through portals for each work. The exhibition will also feature a separate offline exhibition space located in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, where visitors will be guided through a VR device experience, making the Metaverse exhibition more accessible and introducing new programs that connect online and offline.

"This showcase is a meaningful event that connects the Metaverse, a next-generation cultural and artistic platform, with the outstanding young talents of K-Arts who will lead the future of art and content," said Sngmoo Lee, director of AT Lab, who organized the exhibition. "Next year, we will continue the event on our own Metaverse platform that we are building with Postech.“

"In this project, students and researchers not only participated as artists, but also as metaverse R&D experts, planning the platform, designing the space, characters, poster design, and the whole process," said Nuri Jeon, a student of K-Arts Master of Fine Arts Multimedia who directed the exhibition. "Especially Satellite-Station, which is a space that provides the public with a metaverse experience, will be very meaningful, and I hope that many people will come to visit and face the future," Nuri Jeon said.

This exhibition is significant in that it marks a new chapter in the Metaverse platform by showcasing the creative works of six members of the K-Arts AT Lab, which has been continuously exploring the possibilities of new artistic creation distribution networks and exchanges for K-Arts artists following <Scarecrow H>. The K-Arts Metaverse Comprehensive Art Exhibition has just taken its first step, but after the <K-ARTS 1st Annual Metaverse Showcase>, we can look forward to the further development and production of artworks and ideas that break the boundaries between online and offline of potential young artists.

Meanwhile, K-Arts AT Lab is a creation and production laboratory that aims to converge science and technology, cultural arts, industry, and education, and conducts creation and research in the fields of realistic media, advanced medical care, and artificial intelligence content in collaboration with leading domestic and foreign companies, universities, and research institutes. In addition to <Scarecrow H>, works utilizing volumetric technology have been awarded the Special Jury Prize at the Paris 360 Film Festival, third place at the Barcelona 360 Festival in Spain, and have been invited to more than 10 overseas film festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival in France and the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, leading the way for high-tech content.